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The film opens with the following voice-over narration from David Morse’s character, “Joe Roberts”: “The Indian knew the deer moved in circles, that if the hunter calculated his moves with skill, he could run the swift deer into submission. Its hooves would bleed, and the animal stumbled. The Indian was to kneel above his dying prey, putting his mouth to that of the deer, stealing its last breath. While he had earned the swiftness of the beast, in its death he was struck by its peace and stillness, and by his own.”
A title card with the following quote appears at the end of the film: “’Every new child born brings the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.’ – Tagore.” End credits include the statements: “In loving memory of Hal Ashby, Frank Bianco & John Cassavetes”; “’Rio Grande’ courtesy of Republic Pictures Corporation, ‘Gilligan’s Island’ provided by Turner Entertainment Co., 1968 Democratic Convention/Demonstration News Footage, Sherman Grinberg Film Libraries, Inc.”; “Special Thanks: Marubeni Corporation; Daiwa Finance Co. Ltd.; Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.; Yamaman Frontier Inc.; JAL Cultural Development Co., Ltd.; Citizens of Omaha & Plattsmouth, Nebraska; The Nebraska Film Commission – Janet Traub; Mayor of Omaha – Kathy Shepherd; Department of Labor – Ray Griffith; Omaha Police Department; Cass County Sheriff’s Department; Sharon Hughes & James Earl Simmett, Jr.; Clarkson Memorial Hospital; Skip O’Keefe; John Moore Helicopters; Jensen Construction Co.; Red Devil Studios – Jill Jordan; Kenn Rabin; Disc Payroll Services; Beth Semans; David Pauker; Melvin Sattler.”
According to production notes in AMPAS library files, actor turned writer-director Sean Penn began writing The Indian Runner while acting in a film in Vancouver, British ...
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The film opens with the following voice-over narration from David Morse’s character, “Joe Roberts”: “The Indian knew the deer moved in circles, that if the hunter calculated his moves with skill, he could run the swift deer into submission. Its hooves would bleed, and the animal stumbled. The Indian was to kneel above his dying prey, putting his mouth to that of the deer, stealing its last breath. While he had earned the swiftness of the beast, in its death he was struck by its peace and stillness, and by his own.”
A title card with the following quote appears at the end of the film: “’Every new child born brings the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.’ – Tagore.” End credits include the statements: “In loving memory of Hal Ashby, Frank Bianco & John Cassavetes”; “’Rio Grande’ courtesy of Republic Pictures Corporation, ‘Gilligan’s Island’ provided by Turner Entertainment Co., 1968 Democratic Convention/Demonstration News Footage, Sherman Grinberg Film Libraries, Inc.”; “Special Thanks: Marubeni Corporation; Daiwa Finance Co. Ltd.; Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.; Yamaman Frontier Inc.; JAL Cultural Development Co., Ltd.; Citizens of Omaha & Plattsmouth, Nebraska; The Nebraska Film Commission – Janet Traub; Mayor of Omaha – Kathy Shepherd; Department of Labor – Ray Griffith; Omaha Police Department; Cass County Sheriff’s Department; Sharon Hughes & James Earl Simmett, Jr.; Clarkson Memorial Hospital; Skip O’Keefe; John Moore Helicopters; Jensen Construction Co.; Red Devil Studios – Jill Jordan; Kenn Rabin; Disc Payroll Services; Beth Semans; David Pauker; Melvin Sattler.”
According to production notes in AMPAS library files, actor turned writer-director Sean Penn began writing The Indian Runner while acting in a film in Vancouver, British Columbia. The story was inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s song, “Highway Patrolman,” about policeman “Joe Roberts" and his wayward brother “Franky.” Penn called Springsteen to ask permission to base a film on the song, and Springsteen agreed.
A 12 Mar 1991 WSJ article announced The Indian Runner would be the first project financed under a deal between executive producer Thom Mount and several Japanese investors, including NHK Enterprises, some unnamed Japanese banks, and Japanese “’heavy industry’ companies.” According to a 6 May 1990 LAT brief, the budget was expected to be under $10 million, and filming was set to begin in summer 1990 in Nebraska. A 17 Sep 1990 Var news item named Universal Pictures as domestic distributor. However, the 29 Jul 1991 Var announced Universal had dropped out of the project and was replaced by MGM/Pathé, with plans for a fall 1991 release.
A 17 Sep 1990 Var item listed actress Cathy Moriarty as part of the cast, however Moriarty does not appear in the final film.
Principal photography began 27 Aug 1990, as noted in an 18 Sep 1990 HR production chart. According to a 9 Sep 1990 LAT item, locations included Plattsmouth neighborhood of Omaha, NB, and Council Bluffs, IA.
A 6 May 1991 Var brief announced the film would debut on 17 May 1991 at the Cannes Film Festival, as part of the Director’s Fortnight screenings. The film went on to receive mixed reviews and was a commercial failure.
As reported in a 1 Jul 1991 People news brief, Sean Penn contested his “Written and Directed by” credit, as mandated by the Director’s Guild of America (DGA), preferring a title card reading, “Writer/Director.” The issue went into arbitration, and the DGA won, prompting Penn to resign from the DGA in protest. The Indian Runner marked Penn’s motion picture writing and directing debut. As noted in a 28 Apr 1990 Screen International brief, Penn had previously planned to make his directorial debut with She’s So Lovely (1997, see entry); however, he postponed the project to make The Indian Runner, and ultimately only acted in She’s So Lovely, which was directed by Nick Cassavetes. Although Penn was quoted in several contemporary sources, including the 17 Jun 1991 People, as saying he did not plan to act again after The Indian Runner, he continued to appear onscreen as early as 1993 in Carlito’s Way (see entry). MoreLess

Police officer Joe Roberts pursues a criminal in a high-speed car chase. When the young man stops his car and draws a gun, Joe shoots him in self-defense. Although he rationalizes that he did the right thing, Joe is guilt-ridden when the man’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Banks, accost him for killing their son. Joe returns home to his loving wife, Maria, and infant son, Raffael. They discuss the imminent return of Joe’s rebellious brother, Frank, who is due home that week from the Vietnam War. In the time that Frank has been gone, Joe has lost the family farm and become a police officer. That night, while Joe sleeps, Maria hears an intruder and creeps downstairs with a gun. She holds the man at gunpoint, then laughs, recognizing him as Joe’s brother, Frank. The next day, Joe and Frank drive around town. Frank admits it feels strange to ride in a police car without having been arrested. They arrive at the train tracks, where Frank reveals his plans to skip town without visiting their parents, whom he suspects will be relieved not to see him. He confesses to stealing forty dollars from Joe’s wallet, then hops the train. Joe realizes his once familiar brother is now a stranger. He goes to their parents’ home and, as Frank predicted, Mr. and Mrs. Roberts are not surprised that he has already disappeared. Mr. Roberts comments that Frank has always been “restless.” Six months later, Mrs. Roberts dies. After the funeral, Mr. Roberts tells Joe that he recently received a card from a woman named Dorothy, explaining Frank is in jail for hitting her, but is set to be released in ...
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Police officer Joe Roberts pursues a criminal in a high-speed car chase. When the young man stops his car and draws a gun, Joe shoots him in self-defense. Although he rationalizes that he did the right thing, Joe is guilt-ridden when the man’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Banks, accost him for killing their son. Joe returns home to his loving wife, Maria, and infant son, Raffael. They discuss the imminent return of Joe’s rebellious brother, Frank, who is due home that week from the Vietnam War. In the time that Frank has been gone, Joe has lost the family farm and become a police officer. That night, while Joe sleeps, Maria hears an intruder and creeps downstairs with a gun. She holds the man at gunpoint, then laughs, recognizing him as Joe’s brother, Frank. The next day, Joe and Frank drive around town. Frank admits it feels strange to ride in a police car without having been arrested. They arrive at the train tracks, where Frank reveals his plans to skip town without visiting their parents, whom he suspects will be relieved not to see him. He confesses to stealing forty dollars from Joe’s wallet, then hops the train. Joe realizes his once familiar brother is now a stranger. He goes to their parents’ home and, as Frank predicted, Mr. and Mrs. Roberts are not surprised that he has already disappeared. Mr. Roberts comments that Frank has always been “restless.” Six months later, Mrs. Roberts dies. After the funeral, Mr. Roberts tells Joe that he recently received a card from a woman named Dorothy, explaining Frank is in jail for hitting her, but is set to be released in less than a month. Joe tells Maria he wants to offer his brother a place to stay. Maria agrees, although she does not like the idea of Frank living around their son. Joe takes up smoking again on his way to Columbus, Ohio, to pick up Frank from jail. There, he watches from afar as Frank is released and reunited with his childlike girl friend, Dorothy. Joe chooses not to interrupt their tender reunion, and instead, follows them to a rundown motel. Later that evening, Joe surprises Frank in his room and informs him their mother has died. The news elicits no emotion from Frank, who declines Joe’s invitation to come stay at his house. Returning home, Joe teases Maria when he catches her smoking marijuana. Mr. Roberts comes to the house for dinner, and informs Joe and Maria of his plans to sell his house and move into a trailer park. Back in Columbus, Frank steals a convertible, robs a gas station, and sets the stolen car on fire. In the middle of the night, after watching home movies of his young sons, Mr. Roberts calls Joe about a detached strip of molding he noticed at Joe’s house. The next morning, Joe is visited by fellow police officer Randall, who delivers the news that Mr. Roberts shot himself. Joe goes to his parents’ home and examines the bloody site of his father’s suicide. He tries to call Frank, to no avail. Maria finally gets in touch with Dorothy and asks her to pass along the news of Mr. Roberts’s death. Soon, Dorothy and Frank arrive in town. Frank goes on a drunken bender, and Dorothy takes refuge at Joe’s house, where Maria offers her marijuana to calm down. Joe finds Frank at their parents’ house, drunk, naked, and wielding a gun. He brings Frank home with him, and allows him to pass out on the couch. Later, Frank wakes up and proudly announces that Dorothy is pregnant. In time, Frank and Dorothy settle into Mr. and Mrs. Roberts’ unoccupied house, and Frank gets a construction job. Yearning to reignite his passion for farming, Joe starts a garden in his backyard. One night, after Frank and Dorothy are married, Frank picks a fight with his pregnant wife and spits peas in her face. Later, he is detained by police after starting a bar fight. Joe arrives, and listens as Frank rationalizes his violent tendencies. Instead of arresting his brother, Joe brings him back home and tells Dorothy he will keep Frank’s car keys until the next day. In the morning, Joe relates the events to Maria and cries. She insists his brother is no longer a child and must help himself. Soon, Joe and Maria get a call that Dorothy is in labor. They go to her and Frank’s house, but Frank is not there. Joe goes in search of his brother and finds him at a bar. They argue over Frank’s obligation to be with Dorothy. Joe accuses Frank of blaming the world for his problems. In turn, Frank describes the world as a hell populated by two kinds of men: heroes and outlaws. Joe responds that men are either strong or weak, and Frank is being weak. He tries to persuade his brother that children and family are worth living for, but Frank disagrees. Joe declares his love for Frank then uses a shard of broken glass to slice his hand, pointing to the blood and stating that family is all there is. Joe storms out. Frank starts to leave, too, but notices Caesar, the bartender, cleaning up Joe’s blood. Flying into an inexplicable rage, Frank attacks Caesar with a chair, beating the man relentlessly until his face is covered in Caesar’s blood. Bar patrons stare in horror, and Frank is startled when he notices his bloody reflection in a mirror. Joe receives a phone call about the incident minutes before Frank returns home. However, when Frank sees Joe on his stoop, he speeds away. Joe pursues in his police car, but when Frank finally stops, Joe hallucinates Frank as a young boy dressed in a cowboy costume. As Dorothy’s baby is born, Joe allows Frank to drive away, never to be heard from again.
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Seventy-year-old newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane dies in his palatial Florida home, Xanadu, after uttering the single word “Rosebud.” While watching a newsreel summarizing the years during which Kane ... >>

The American Film Institute is grateful to Sir Paul Getty KBE and the Sir Paul Getty KBE Estate for their dedication to the art of the moving image and their support for the
AFI Catalog of Feature Films and without whose support AFI would not have been able to achieve this historical landmark in this epic scholarly endeavor.